The Company
Every City has its businesses as every civilisation has its trade. The hive was no different, its construction and expansion financed by the profits and investments of the companies that had dreamt of it on earth. Black Star Mesa Poured its wealth into the founding of the hive colony, establishing a solid base from which to operate and expand its influence and power through the stars to new worlds and further on, bringing in work forces, jobs, employment, opportunities to the masses and the dream of a new life to those down trodden on the home world. This all changed for the company when the fall hit the hive colony as the mutants rose from the depths. As they over ran the industrial sectors and security checkpoints, the populace swarmed in a panic into the secure shelters, whilst the company members swarmed into their two great tower blocks, the original colonial towers established to build the rest of the colony. Its members brought with them what family they had based outside of the towers with what items they could grab in the rush, many would not make it whilst many more were blocked by the companies own security department as prioritised officials drove into the tower, under hails of abuse as the security guards struggled to keep the growing crowds at bay. Eventually those that did make it got their staff and their families in with the security department personnel, whilst some of the department managers held off sealing the loading doors until they had evacuated a few thousand members of the populace into the tower with them, aiming others to the remaining nearby civilian shelters where they could with volunteer guards from the security department. Those that found themselves sealed within the towers found themselves in the situation of listening to the death of the hive around them as the mutants overran everything that wasn't sealed off, killing tens of thousands as they attempted to flee from the wave of mutation. Soon their attention turned to their own internal issues as their supplies began to dwindle and the higher ups demanded to know where all the extra people had come from, this crisis led to the establishment of the board, based around the old company command structure, the lead departments that had survived elected their leaders to the board to decide what to do, the surviving original senior management being the first to disappear. Their second action was to turn the old bio-technical labs into green houses and hydroponics bays in order to produce food to feed the towers populace, whilst this was all going on, only known to the board themselves and departmental heads knew contact was lost with tower two, presumed to have been breached and overrun during the mass venting the column bridge between the two towers was sealed, with a permanent guard placed on it to ensure it would never pose a threat to the now permanent residents of tower one. Soon the entire tower had been retrofitted with what supplies they had to ensure they had accommodation and food for their new populace, once the hive had re-pressurised the board organised salvage teams with escorts from their surviving guards to head out and recover what they would need to ensure their continued survival, setting up a fortified camp at the base of the tower, bringing supplies and items back from the dead hive to bolster the supplies of the company tower and their equipment levels, guards bringing back weapons from abandoned Hive-sec outposts, whilst work teams pulled in nano-forges and Materials for repairing key systems. Following on from this each department took on members from the population eventually forming into their own cultures and ways of doing things, but with their representative sitting on the board when they managed to cultivate enough support and so drive the direction of the company as a whole. Each department operates as a single entity within a larger whole, departments’ power growing and ebbing with the rise and fall of its fortunes in a never ending cycle of political power plays and under the table deals. Today these departments work towards a common goal set by the Board, alongside their own agendas, but with all the same drive to further the company as a people, carrying on the style of determination and endurance the original company members had. Even though the majority of the hive is dead the company still sees the hive as their assets and birth right, working to reclaim the areas they hold interest in as they push ever onward... The Board The board serves as the primary governing body for the company, with its members consisting of the most influential and powerful members of the company itself. Consisting of 9 executive positions, the board acts as the guiding body behind the companies drive, serving to steer the populace towards their collective goals as a people, whilst each of the board members also attempts to drive home their own departments objectives and political aims. A department will find its managing director elected to the board should a position be available, or often by causing the downfall of a member by various means, via the collective votes of several departments as the elevation to the board requires the support of at least 3 departments. Should a representative with enough votes be successful they will find themselves in charge of a bounty of addition power and resources to be directed to their supporting departments in addition to the departments own resource assets. In addition to this members of the board have the power to vote on key issues such as going to war, enacting Policy or dismissing a department’s personnel from the company. This position also brings more secretive powers in letting members of the board into the information stacks stored within the company tower that are normally locked from viewing, and the meaning these bare…. Company Elections As with everything within the company, elections are very much a political show of power and dominence amongst the ever shifting scene of back details and shadow alliances amongst the politically powerful of the company departments. Every department maintains a weary eye whenever the whispers of an election or position of power about to come into existance or viability, as the ability to gain these positions often heralds the rise of a department to prominence and power. As such due the nature in the way the company functions and its personnel are split these positions are often geared towards certain types of people, in such that often the only applicants are from one walk of life within the company. In this when large scale operations are conducted often a 'Suit' from a more military walk of life is selected to take overall security command, whilst the avaliabe supplies stockpile for the operation are placed at the disposal of the chosen 'Lab-coat' from logisitcs. Operational Executive - Elected once a year, chosen from amongst the SUITS with WARLEADER only. Has field command over the 1st Company army (Subsequent armies will require further Operation Executives to be elected) Supply Director - Elected once a year, chosen from amongst the LAB-COATS only. Has field command over the army supply lines and territory supplies. The Company Army Formed by policy set out by the board, the reclamators serve as the main armed force by which the company responds to incursions on a large scale. Founded upon large elements of security department personnel, supported by medical and biological experts as well as the reclamations department, this large body of company men and women functions as one large entity, with each department committing resources to the force as the armed embodiment of their purpose. This large flow of recruits and supplies has given the reclamators are large stockpile of supplies to draw upon even when outside of home territory and as such they have become famous amongst the company for their quick ability to reequip and head back out when they have faced hard combat with little time to properly recoup. Company Relations Born into a culture driven by ones own political dominance and status amongst ones fellows, the company are a civilization where ones capabilities are constantly tested amongst near constant competition with your siblings and colleagues amongst your department. This approach to life and focus on the political consequences of ones actions defines the company as a whole, always ready to step over others in order to further their own gain, alongside carrying out acts of charity that they often utilize to their advantage in the constant rounds of political fighting and advancements. As such the company have often found their way of life and actions resulting in tensions with other culture, and in some cases armed conflict which has left a lasting impression on the cultures involved. To Company Relations Subclasses : Suits & Lab-Coats Faction Bonus: Bonus to Trade option during downtime Suits: Naturally adept at organising their work groups, suits form the bulk of Company staff as they call their populace, managing everything from simple shift teams all the way through to organising swap deals between departments. Suits affinity for organising and maximising efficiency gives them a significant boost to dealing with cash flows that move through the departments constantly. Operating in groups these highly effective business men also provide the majority of expedition troops and security team personnel trained by the security department to defend the tower and the company as a whole. Lab-Coats: As their name suggests, Lab-coats form the bulk of specialist technical personnel within the company, never as boastful or forthright as the suits, these scientists all of types provide the company with the technical edge in their endeavours that give the company their lethal edge in the field as well as in the department competitions and endless rounds of scientific debates between the rival Lab-Coats of each department. Their constant focus on scientific advancement has left your average Lab-coat with an affinity with anything Biological and is quick to identify any possible new lead from their projects, so providing a constant scientific arms race amongst the company that ever pushes their boundaries of knowledge forward in their pursuits. Sub class Advantages: "Suits" Gain a bonus to territory turn over (Income increase), "Lab-coats" First point in bio-tech is doubled and Analysing takes half the time Sub class Disadvantages: "Suits" Can't use heavy Rigs beyond worn & "Lab-coats" can't use two handed weapons beyond Worn level Cultural Inspiration: Mafia, Japanese societal structure, Yakuza, Renaissance Families/Free Italian city states, Renaissance era Political styling What the faction are not: Oppressive, through and through business men, Outright Antagonistic or Inherently arrogant